Fouzi Lekjaa says 2030 World Cup final will be staged in Benslimane | OneFootball

Morocco federation president Fouzi Lekjaa has said his country will host the 2030 World Cup final at a 115,000-seat stadium under construction near Casablanca. According to L'Équipe, his remarks come amid an intense contest with Spain to stage the showpiece.

Speaking at a political rally in Bouznika during Morocco’s 23 September legislative campaign, Lekjaa said Benslimane would have the honour of staging the final. The town lies about 60 km east of Casablanca.

Benslimane is due to house the Hassan II Stadium, currently being built at an estimated cost of nearly half a billion euros. If completed as planned, it would be the world’s largest football-only arena.

Spain’s federation president, Rafael Louzan, recently took the World Cup trophy to Ceuta with head coach Luis de la Fuente, after Spain’s 19 July win over Argentina, 1-0 after extra time. He said he would not understand the final being played outside Spain. Tensions around Ceuta have been high since late July amid a migration crisis between the neighbours.

The 2030 tournament runs from 8 June to 21 July, with the opening three matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, and the majority in Morocco, Portugal and Spain. Host cities and the final venue are yet to be confirmed, and claims that Gianni Infantino pledged the final to Morocco were dismissed last month as false and misleading during a governance crisis at the world body.

Source: L'Équipe

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”